The year in which the Vietnam War began, Winston Churchill and Stan Laurel -the slim actor of the famous comedy duo El Gordo y el Flaco- died and Spain began to consolidate itself as an international tourist destination, one of the great creations of what is considered to be the best Spanish golf course designer, Javier Arana, made its debut in Marbella. Rio Real was born in 1965 in an enclave privileged by nature, on a gently sloping estate that reaches the sea. And only five minutes from the center of the cosmopolitan city.
If its holes could speak… Rio Real Golf Club is one of Marbella’s historic golf courses. Since its inauguration half a century ago, many great people have enjoyed this beautiful golf course, from aristocrats to famous Hollywood stars.
Actress Deborah Kerr and her husband, screenwriter Peter Viertel, lived in a house overlooking the golf course. That era of glamour in which Rio Real began to walk has given way to a less dazzling, but by no means uninteresting one. Perhaps there are no longer so many Hollywood ‘monsters’, although a few hundred meters from the club Antonio Banderas has his villa, nor are the Arab sheiks as lavish as in the past, but the truth is that Marbella continues to be one of the most attractive tourist destinations and of the highest standing in Europe.
For a short getaway or a full-fledged vacation in this coastal town, Rio Real is the perfect place.
Located just three kilometers from the center of the city, the complex includes the splendid par 72 that descends gently to the beach in the midst of an overflowing nature full of pines of different species and imposing size combined with beautiful palm trees, lush shrubs and colorful flowerbeds. Strolling through the manicured fairways and exquisitely manicured greens is a delight for all the senses, especially for the eyes, with the brilliant blue of the Mediterranean as a backdrop.
And it is that good feelings are a trademark of the house. Next to the course is the resort’s charming boutique hotel, opened in 2001 and exquisitely decorated by the prestigious interior architect Pascua Ortega. With breathtaking views of the 11th hole, it has 30 spacious and elegant rooms and suites.
Lovers of good food will also find a magnificent restaurant in Río Real. The Mediterranean essence mixed with good taste make this restaurant to be chosen as the most suitable place for the enjoyment of the most demanding palates. All this in an elegant and distinguished atmosphere with panoramic views of the golf course.
And with the sound of wood and the smell of coffee, the Snack Bar invites you to relax and also offers the possibility of a light lunch at the foot of the field.
And if the Rio Real course is a real luxury for Spanish golf, its Academy is not far behind, since it has splendid facilities directed by Sergio de Cespedes. Certified TPI, coach of the youth team of the Spanish Federation, and son and grandson of golf teachers, Sergio will adequately guide both those who want to start in golf and those who wish to improve their game.
The facilities include a driving range, 15 indoor driving ranges, three greens, a 1,000 square meter approach and putting area with one green and two practice bunkers, a 500 square meter putting green, a training putting green with technical putting aids, and a 50 square meter school room with two analysis systems (Video Gasp System and 3D Biomechanical Analysis), a plasma screen and a scanner.
State-of-the-art technology
The teaching at the Academy, which is guided by the flight of the ball and the dimensions of the swing, includes a Digital Putt Analysis System, which analyzes eleven different positions and has ten working tools, lines, angles, circles, colors, etc.; and a 3D Biomechanics Analysis, through which the movements are captured by optical sensors. Once the movement is recorded, the swing can be visualized from any angle, and it has more than 40 working tools, center of gravity, lines, planes, numerical values of weight distribution, knee angle, back, head, shoulder rotation angle, hips, knees, shoulder speed, hip, clubs. In addition, lines can be drawn on the 3D and Video Gasp System. Explanair aids, putt guides and rittmeiser are also used.
And when not enjoying golf, the hotel, the pool or the restaurant, a visit to the hotel’s wellness center is a must. After golf, nothing better than a therapeutic massage on the back, neck and arms to achieve a state of complete wellness and relaxation; or a facial massage after a day on the course to restore hydration and luminosity to the face, or a revitalizing exfoliation to oxygenate the skin.
For the more active, the resort has paddle and tennis courts and instructors for both sports.
The Río Real complex offers attractive accommodation and golf programs to suit all tastes (information at www.rioreal.com), and there is also the possibility of organized excursions to Ronda, Granada and other places of great tourist interest.
There are numerous options in Rio Real, a small paradise to fully enjoy all the senses.
The origin
The history of the Río Real golf course is linked in its beginnings to the Hotel Los Monteros. The Salamanca businessman Ignacio Coca created the hotel in 1962 and shortly thereafter hired Javier Arana to design the golf course, which opened in 1965. In fact, older people refer to it as ‘the Los Monteros course’.
Javier Arana, who had designed the first Guadalmina course a few years earlier, became so involved with the Los Monteros project that he went to live in Marbella to follow the construction of the course on site. “He put all his interest and knowledge at the service of this course,” says its current director, Luis Navarro, who refers to the designer from Bilbao as “the best Spain has ever had”.
In 1993, Luis Figueroa, Count of Quintanilla, acquired the golf course and surrounding land, and the property was separated from Hotel Los Monteros. Numerous improvements were made to the course and a few years later, in 2001, the Río Real hotel was inaugurated as an annex to the golf course.
From the beginnings of the golf club, the then top professional golfer in Spain, Ángel de Miguel, who had won the World Cup in the individual category in 1958, a dozen international tournaments, including three Spanish Opens and three Portuguese Opens, and six times the Spanish Professional Championship, a record that is still unbeaten, was signed up. He remained at Rio Real until his retirement.
The course hosted the Spanish Professional Championship in 1967, but it was not won by Ángel de Miguel, but by his brother Sebastián. In 2009 the European Mid Amateur Championship, for over 35 years old, was played here.
Another very significant person in the club is Juan Cantos, its director until a year ago, when he retired. He dedicated his entire professional life to Rio Real, starting as a caddie.
News
For its 50th anniversary, the club is preparing well, for example by investing heavily in the renewal of its fleet of machinery and buggies. The LPG combustion-engine buggies have been replaced by about fifty top-of-the-line electric vehicles.
Thanks to a series of improvements that have been made to the course, buggies can now be driven not only on their specific paths, but also on the fairways of the playing field. As well as giving great satisfaction to the player, this new feature has greatly improved the pace of the game.
As for the playing field, apart from the meticulous maintenance to which it is regularly subjected, the sand in all the bunkers has recently been replaced.
Another change, which is now in effect, is the change of the tee markers. The traditional color codes on the tees are replaced with numerical markers. “We are putting in four sets of tees and doing away with the color codes, just as Las Brisas and the Spanish Federation’s National Golf Center have done,” Navarro explains.
“All sets of tees,” he adds, “are now rated for both gentlemen’s and ladies’ valid tests, so the traditional color codes that said ladies start from red no longer make sense. The ladies will be able to play from the back tees or from the front tees, and anyone will be able to do so”.
This is more attractive for the player for several reasons, says the director of Rio Real, among others because the golfer “can play a different course each time, the obstacles come into play differently, depending on the tees you choose, it is much more versatile”.
The Spanish Federation recommends that the set of tees be chosen according to the distance of the drive. The numbers that appear on the tees correspond to the hundreds of meters of the course according to that position. For example, a course of 6,500 meters would correspond to the tee with the number 65. For a more advanced tee the distance could be 6,200, reflected in the tee with the number 62, and so on.
One of the most interesting projects Rio Real’s managers are currently working on is a luxurious beach club with a swimming pool next to the 4th green and next to the Trocadero Arena. In this way, the resort will be complete with golf, hotel, tennis and paddle courts, wellness center and finally the beach club, which is scheduled to open in the spring of 2016.
Competitions
Apart from the usual competitions that take place every year, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary the club has requested the Spanish and Andalusian Golf Federations (RFEG and RFGA) a series of tournaments. A Gecko Pro Tour event is scheduled for February 3 and 4. On June 3 and 4, the final of the RFGA Women’s Tour will be played here. On June 20 and 21, the Spanish Adapted Golf Championship of the RFEG, “something that makes us very excited because we believe it is a very nice competition and we want to support it,” says Navarro. On July 1 and 2 the RFGA Men’s and Women’s Doubles Championship will be played, and from July 3 to 5 the Andalusian Men’s Championship, which will be played over three rounds to be valid for the world ranking. On November 21 and 22 we will host the Spanish Mixed Couples Championship, and on December 19 and 20 will be played the RFGA Over 35 Championship. At the end of December the final of the Miguel Angel Jimenez Tour will be played in Rio Real for players from juniors to boys and girls. The date will be determined according to Jimenez’s competition schedule.
Leave a Reply